GUJRAT: The district administration has launched the second shift for dialysis of the kidney patients at the Gujrat Kidney Centre within three months of the inauguration of the centre that was established with the financial support of the local philanthropists.

Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali Randhawa and Sargodha Deputy Commissioner Liaqat Ali Chatha, who had established the kidney centre during his posting at Gujrat, jointly inaugurated the second shift of the dialysis at a ceremony attended by the donors and other notables of the city.

Kidney centre board of governors chairman Mian Muhammad Ijaz, and administrator Dr Abbas Gondal gave a briefing to the participants of the ceremony. They said that since the launch of the centre at least 153 kidney patients were registered with the health facility whereas some 1,253 free of cost dialysis had been conducted so far.

They said the first shift had been going on between 8am to 1pm daily and now the second shift had been launched to accommodate the rising number of kidney patients. The second shift would continue from 1pm to 8pm.

A sum of Rs100m has so far been donated by the philanthropists with major contribution from renowned businessmen like Chaudhary Ahmed Saeed, Haji Aurangzaib Butt, Haji Muhammad Ilyas, Chaudhry Mubashar Hussain and others for the establishment of the centre in the heart of the city along Circular Road.

The project has been completed as a private public partnership by the district administration as the land had been donated by a local philanthropist woman to the Red Crescent Society was utilised for the project whereas the running cost of the medical facility was arranged through the further donations as well as the rent from the ground floor and the basement of the building.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2017